1 January 2006 | C Whitmer

At the beginning of the 2004 season, the Chicago Bulls were a team considered too young and inexperienced to have a realistic shot at making a run for the post-season. The franchise was obviously still in the flux of rebuilding; that frustrating transitional phase where the growing pains experienced by a young team are usually equally as painful for fans as well.

Even the Bulls’ marketing department seemed to struggle to find the right way to keep the interest of the fans. 2003’s slogan “Everything Can Change in the Blink of an Eye” gave way to 2004’s “Through Thick and Thin”; not exactly the most encouraging words.

Clearly there were not many believers backing this young team, even within the Bulls’ organization.

It became quite obvious, however, that Tyson Chandler, Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, as well as the rest of the Bull’s players, did not care about what the advertising execs had to say, as the rebuilding process was about to be pushed forward at warp speed.

The Chicago Bulls finished last season with a surprising 47-35 record, and entered the playoffs for the first time since 1998. And though they were unable to bring another championship home to Chicago, Bulls fans were once again experiencing the kind of playoff excitement that was once taken for granted back in the 1990’s.

Despite the critics and non-believers, the Chicago Bulls proved in 2004 that they could contend with the best that the NBA has to offer. And as they continue their run for the playoffs, you won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to experience the excitement of Bulls basketball live and in person.

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